No doubt you’ve already heard that people tend to buy from businesses they already know, like and trust.
If you are searching for ways to sell more products online, then one of the things you can do, is help your prospects get to know, like and trust you, your team and your business better.
Adding a directory of staff or faculty members to your website is a great way to humanize your business.
This step-by-step tutorial will show you how to add an easy-to-manage employee directory to your web site.
Tutorial: Adding A Staff List Directory
In this tutorial, we will install, activate and configure a no cost WordPress plugin called Simple Staff List.
Simple Staff List
(Simple Staff List – WordPress Plugin)
Simple Staff List lets you staff members (you could also use it to display partners, etc.).
First, let’s install and activate this plugin.
Log into the WordPress dashboard and from the admin menu section, click on Plugins > Add New …
(Plugins Menu – Add New)
In the Plugins screen, search for “simple staff plugin”. This brings up the Simple Staff Plugin in your plugin search results.
Click on the Install Now button …
(WordPress Plugins – Add Plugins screen)
Activate the plugin …
(Activate plugin)
After your plugin has been installed and activated, you will see that a new entry will display on the WordPress admin menu called Staff Members …
(Staff Members menu)
All of the settings for this plugin are configured and managed in the Staff Members menu.
Configuring Simple Staff List
Depending on the size of your business and how you want to structure your staff directory, you could start adding new staff member details after installing the plugin, or create several groups (i.e. categories) to place your individualemployees into.
Staff Members – Groups
To configure your categories go to your dashboard menu and choose Staff Members > Groups …
(Staff Members – Groups)
This opens up the Groups area …
(Groups section)
Note: Setting up groups works in the same way as adding categories …
(Groups work like categories)
Add a new group by typing in the following information:
- Group Name – Enter your group name here
- Slug – Enter the slug of your group. Note: make sure that all letters are in lower case and use hyphens instead of spaces.
- Parent – Use this section if you plan to set up nested groups
- Description – Enter a group description here (optional)
- Click the Add New Group button when finished to create your new group name …
(Groups area)
If you work with a larger organization, the ability to assign people to different groups can be very useful. For example, you can create a group for investors, developers, faculties, etc.
Create as many groups and nested categories as you want by adding new Groups and then using the Parent drop-down menu to organize these into a directory hierarchy …
(Nested categories)
Remember to click on the Add New Group button after creating new items …
To change or reassign Groups for specific entries, hover your mouse button over a category title and click on the Edit link …
Your selected category details will display in the Edit Group page. Select a new parent group category from the Parent drop-down menu …
(Edit Group screen)
Click Update to save your changes …
To edit the Group name or slug, hover your mouse over the group name and select Quick Edit …
Click on Update Group when done to save your changes …
Add as many categories as you need to until you are done creating your directory structure …
You can add as many nested groups as you like …
(Nested groups)
Once you are done setting up your groups, the next step is to start to add names to your directory.
Staff Members – Add New
In your admin menu, click on Staff Members > Add New …
(Staff Members – Add New)
This loads the Add New Staff Member settings area in your browser …
(Add New Staff Member screen)
This area provides you with an easy-to-use interface for adding and editing your staff member information and includes the following fields:
Name Section (1)
- Name: The staff member’s name
- Permalink: Here you can edit the permalink URL for each staff member if you want (this section appears after your first save).
Staff Photo Section (2)
- Photo: Upload a photo in this section
Staff Member Info Section (3)
- Position: The employee’s role
- Email: Add the person’s email address
- Phone Number: Enter the person’s phone number
- Facebook URL: Type your company’s Facebook URL here (note: use the full URL, e.g. http://www.facebook.com/username)
- Twitter URL: Enter your staff member’s Twitter username (note: only enter the username, not the full twitter URL)
Staff Member Bio Section (4)
- Staff Member Bio: Enter a profile description for your staff or team member here. Since this uses the default WordPress Text Editor, you can use HTML into this section.
Groups Section (5)
- Groups: You can assign the individual to a group (see above to learn how to set up your groups).
Click on the Screen Options tab …
(Screen options)
You will see options to enable additional page settings …
(Enable additional fields in screen options tab)
Now that you know what each section does, enter each staff member’s details …
(Staff directory fields)
Once you have finished inputting details, assign your entry to a directory group in the Groups box in your sidebar …
(Groups feature)
Note: If you did not set up categories before adding new staff members, you can add a new group by selecting Groups > + Add New Group …
(Add a new group inside your Groups box)
A field will appear allowing you to create a new group name, with a drop-down menu to assign your new entry to a parent group. Enter your new directory category and click on the Add New Group button …
The new group will be added. Remember to tick the check box to assign a person to the group …
(New group added in Groups feature)
Note: You cannot edit groups when adding or making changes to new employee details. To edit a group entry, go to the Groups section of the plugin’s settings (see “Groups” section of the tutorial above for details).
***
After filling in your employee’s details, click the Publish button …
Click View Post …
You can update the person’s profile by clicking the Edit Staff Member link in the admin toolbar …
(Edit Staff Member link – admin toolbar)
If you need help using the dashboard admin toolbar, see this tutorial:
Note: If you see an error like the one shown below, check that you have correctly configured your permalinks …
(Check your permalinks if you get a page error)
If you need help setting up permalinks, refer to this step-by-step tutorial:
Repeat the above process to continue adding more entries to your staff directory directory.
Staff Members – All Staff Members
After you are done adding staff details to your directory, you can view and edit their details by clicking Staff Members > All Staff Members on your WordPress admin menu …
(Staff Members Menu – All Staff Members)
This brings up a table listing all the staff members and the details you have added with each entry …
(Staff Members details list)
If you need to change individual entries, simply hover over their name, and a submenu will appear.
Click on Edit if you want to edit the item’s Staff Bio, or Quick Edit to update details such as their name, slug, group, and publish status. You can also remove an entry from the directory by clicking on the Trash link, or view the entry on your site by clicking View …
(Edit Staff Members profile)
If you have added many employees to this section, your table can become unwieldy.
You can use the Search Staff Members search field to find member details if required …
(Search Staff Members search feature)
You can specify which fields to display in this screen. To hide or hide fields on your screen, click the Screen Options tab at the top of your page …
(Screen Options tab)
Placing a tick in the item’s checkbox displays the field and unselecting it hides the field. You can also select how many staff members are shown per page. Click the Apply button when finished to save your screen options …
Staff Members – Order
The plugin also features a drag-and-drop interface that allows you to arrange the order that listings display on your directory pages.
Choose Staff Members > Order in your main menu …
(Staff Members Menu – Order)
To reorder your items, click and drag the item to its new location …
(Rearrange items using drag and drop)
Your directory will automatically be reordered …
(Reordered list entries)
After adding your member details to your directory, the next step is to display your directory to your visitors.
Staff Members – Order
The Simple Staff List plugin also features a drag-and-drop interface allowing you to set the order that entries appear on your directory pages.
Select Staff Members > Order in your WP admin menu …
(Staff Members Menu – Order)
To rearrange the order of your entries, click and drag the item to its new position …
(Reorder staff listings using drag and drop)
Your list will be automatically reorganized …
(Reordered list entries)
After adding all members’ details to the directory, the next step is to make the directory show to your visitors.
Simple Staff List – Additional Notes
Simple Staff List also lets you customize the layout and style of your staff list listings using template tags and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets).
Templates Menu
To customize the style and layout of your staff list, select Staff Members > Templates from your menu …
(Staff Members Menu – Templates)
This opens the Templates page …
(Customize your directory template)
To customize your directory, insert any of the allowable template tags inside the [staff_loop] [/staff_loop] code.
For example, below is a screenshot of the default template used for displaying directory listings …
(Default Simple Staff List Staff Loop Template)
The above code displays the listing shown below …
(Default Simple Staff List Template Listing)
Notice that no Facebook or Twitter URLs are showing in the above example. To display these fields, we will need to add the [staff-facebook] and [staff-twitter] tags to the template loop, as shown in the screenshot below …
(Use template tags to customize your directory page)
Here is what your staff list should now look like …
(Directory listings with social media URLs)
Note: If you want to customize your directory but don’t want to mess around with editing code or are not sure what to do, please contact us for assistance.
Usage Menu
In addition to being able to customize your listing templates, the Simple Staff List plugin allows you to display your staff profiles differently using modified shortcodes.
In your menu, select Staff Members >Usage …
(Staff Members Menu – Usage)
This brings up the Usage page …
(Simple Staff List shortcodes)
This screen lists all different shortcode variations that you can use with the Simple Staff List plugin.
For example, a useful shortcode variation you can add to display only members of a specific group is the shortcode [simple-staff-list group=”group name”], (e.g.:[simple-staff-list group=”Gold Level associates”])
Or, you can display listings in ascending or descending order by inserting the shortcode [simple-staff-list order=”DESC”] (descending).
Options Menu
In the menu, select Staff Members >Options …
(Staff Members – Options)
This opens the Options screen …
(Simple Staff List – customizable options)
Here you can modify some of the labels used in the plugin
Finally, you can also export your staff members data from the Tools > Export section …
(Export Staff Members info)
If you need additional information about the Simple Staff List plugin, go to the plugin faq page.
Other Employee Directory Plugins
Simple Staff List is not the only adding a directory of your staff in WordPress. Here are a few other free WordPress plugins you can use:
Modern Team Staff Directory
(Modern Team Staff Directory – WP Staff Directory Plugin)
This plugin helps you collect your team information and showcase it anywhere on your site in beautiful grids, columns and tables. This premium plugin features over a dozen presets and provides editors that make it easy to edit and update your directory.
(Modern Team Staff Directory – Responsive Templates)
Learn more about the plugin here:
Staff Directory
(Staff Directory – WordPress Staff Directory Plugin)
This plugin lets you easily display a list of team/faculty/staff members. The plugin supports staff categories and can be used for churches, teams, etc.
The plugin also lets you add custom fields …
(Custom Details Fields Screen. Screenshot source: Staff Directory website)
More info:
Faculty And Staff Directory
(Faculty And Staff Directory – WordPress Staff Directory Plugin)
This plugin provides a simple and flexible faculty and staff directory for a small college, school or university.
The plugin also includes a widget that allows you to feature a profile in a widget area.
More info:
Company Directory
(Company Directory – Plugin For WordPress)
The Company Directory plugin lets you easily add your staff to your site. Different layouts are included, including list and single views, plus as fields like position title, email, phone number, image and bio, allowing you to present your company and capabilities.
Visitors will be able to click through from your list, grid, and table views to read more about each staff member in a customizable single view …
(Display your staff and faculty in an easy-to-view format. Screenshot sourced from plugin website)
This plugin also uses a simple shortcode system.
More info:
Employee Spotlight
(Employee Spotlight – WordPress Plugin)
Employee Spotlight displays staff members, partners or just an individual person in a four-column circle grid page. This page can be easily created with a setup assistant on plugin activation.
This plugin comes with two sidebar widgets which display featured and recent employees selected in the editor, and two responsive views which adjust to the screen in the viewer’s device.
Detailed information about each team member can be displayed in their own page, as well as in summary …
(Responsive layout with employee circle grid. Screenshot source: Employee Spotlight website)
More info:
Staffer
(Staffer)
Staffer uses custom post types for employee management and supports the display of staff members via a shortcode, allowing you to easily create and manage an employee directory on your website …
(Staffer archive page. Screenshot source: plugin website)
Staffer works with many popular WordPress themes, and also allows for custom template use and custom content wrappers.
Learn more about the plugin here:
If the above plugins aren’t what you’re looking for, search the WordPress plugin directory or go online and search for:
- Add Staff Directory To WordPress
- WordPress Staff Plugin
- WordPress Plugin Staff Directory
- Staff Directory Plugin WordPress
- etc.
Hopefully, this step-by-step tutorial has explained how to create and add an easy-to-update directory of staff in your site.
Images of models used to depict staff members were sourced under creative commons license from pixabay.com
***
"If you're new to WordPress, this can stand on its own as a training course and will stay with you as you progress from beginner to advanced and even guru status." - Bruce (Columbus, Ohio)